A Preliminary Study of Job-Related Communications Skills in British Columbia Sawmills.

Council of Forest Industries (British Columbia).; IWA - Canada.

A preliminary study of job-related communications skills in British Columbia sawmills investigated the extent of agreement between reading grade levels of written workplace materials and reading comprehension levels of employees expected to read them. In 1990, 227 employees in 8 sawmills were interviewed with a 52-item structured interview, a receptive vocabulary test, a series of cloze passages constructed from mill materials, and a nonverbal test of reasoning ability. All participants were given the entry-level cloze passage (grade 4.5 level); additional passages were administered until either a frustration level score resulted or the final passage (grade 17+) was completed. In total, 55.9 percent were not fully functional with the first passage. Two-thirds of employees would not take courses to upgrade reading, writing, mathematics, or speaking skills. However, when asked to specify conditions under which they would take courses, three-quarters of respondents indicated they would be more likely to take a course if: (1) it would help them get a better job; (2) it were needed to keep present job; (3) they were given time off to take it; (4) it were offered outside the mill; and (5) nonmill personnel were teaching. A significant number were found to have reading comprehension levels below what was needed to understand written workplace materials, and most reported they did not read on the job. (Appendixes include 55 references, cloze passages, interview form, and rationale for use of cloze passages.) (YLB)